Tran'Lo is a forge-world in the Macharian Sector of the Imperium of Man. It gets but a passing mention in the Warhammer 40,000: Imperium Maledictum RPG rulebook, but I borrowed it as the setting for a wargame campaign.
Tran'Lo was originally ruled by House Vo. When the family was declared Hereticus Absetia, the Adeptus Mechanicum moved in to retrieve the archeotech rumoured to be stored on the fallen world. Whether out of spite or heresy, the Vo Family destroyed most of the archeotech and abandoned the planet. However, the adepts of Cult Mechanicum are certain that not all archeotech was lost, and so they press on, converting cities into forges in the name of the Omnissiah and siezing whatever archeotech they find.
The Vo Family may be offworld now, but their influence remains strong on Tran'Lo, especially in Mega-City One. When my team of Skitarii, Fulgurite Electro-Priests, and Kastelan Robots arrive, they find the streets filled with Traitor Guardsmen armed with a renegade Armiger Helverin, and several Drones controlled remotely by Vo gunners.
Can the Skitarii and the Electro-Priests reach the door to the subterranean compound before the Vo loyalists pick them off from afar?
The victory condition for this scenario is to reach the door to the compound. The defeat condition is to fail to reach the door. This is a narrative campaign focused on roleplay, so there's no limit to how many rounds the game takes.
Round 1
The Adeptus Mechanicus rolls high and takes the first turn. My Fulgurite Electro-Priests are actually Daughters of Khaine themed and slightly converted into Adeptus Mechanicus miniatures.
Their poses make me think that the Electro-Priestesses focus more on speed than their stolid Electro-Priest counterparts. Anyway, Fulgurite Electro-Priests literally have no ranged weapons, so I decided that their main function in this game was to get to the door while the Skitarii and some spare Servitors provide cover.
That's essentially what happens this round, with the Electro-Priestesses nearly reaching the rooftop of a short building. Unfortunately, the Skitarii and Servitors can only take a few meaningless pot shots at the Vo loyalists, because the opposing army has deployed safely in alleyways and behind big old buildings.
What works for one works for the other, though. The loyalists aren't able to score a kill this round due to cover, but do manage to position themselves atop one of the buildings and over a dumpster serving as a barricade so they can get some clear shots next round.
Round 2
The Adeptus Mechanicus goes first again this round. Both teams continue their advance. The Electro-Priestesses reach the rooftop, planning to traverse it to the other edge and then leap down so they're suddently within range of the compound door. It's a good plan, at least on paper.
The Skitarii and Servitors hurry toward the loyalists and open fire. Several loyalists fall.
On the loyalist turn, they advance and all hell breaks loose. The stolen Armiger Helverin mows down the Tech-Priest leader and both Kastelan Robots. And then a traitor guardsman tosses a grenade over at the Servitors and takes 2 of them out.
Round 3
Things go from bad to worse now. Loyalists on the roof of one building spot the Fulgurite Electro-Priestesses and radio down to alert the Armiger Helverin.
My Fulgurite Electro-Priestesses heroically leap down off the building, right over the heads of some sneaky but ineffective guardsmen, onto the street only to find that the compound door is guarded by a swarm of Drones and that darned Armiger Helverin! They're surrounded now, and well out-gunned, just [centi]meters away from their target!
The Servitors manage to take out a loyalist, so there's that.
Round 4
Bad bad bad. The loyalists rain bullets and explosives down onto the Skitarii and Servitors, clearing the battlefield of all the redcoats. Nobody remains but the Fulgurite Electro-Priestesses.
It's either death or failure, so the Electro-Priestesses make a break for the compound door. All but one fall to the gunfire of the Drones.
Literally the last Adeptus Mechanicus miniature on the battlefield, a lone Fulgurite Electro-Priestess, reaches the door for what is just barely a victory.
Post-game administration
I think it's safe to say that the victory condition for this game was very much a technical victory. A lone Eletro-Priestess getting into the secret compound satisfies the condition for success, but obviously she can't be the only miniature in the next scenario. After a little thought, I decided that instead of scoring the game as a victory for the Adeptus Mechanicus, I would score it as defeat.
So the story so far is that the Adeptus Mechanicus forces were captured by the loyalists, and thrown into a holding cell. In the next scenario, a restore Adeptus Mechanicus army must escape from their imprisonment and reach the archeotech vault!
Photo by Seth Kenlon, Creative Commons cc0.